I bowed my head to the party I was joining and took a seat at the end of the group.

Since I didn’t know my way around, I left the job of taking the quest to them, and the leader, Ena, picked a request to "Subjugate the Ogre."

This was a quest to defeat an ogre that had been appearing in the forest near the neighboring town of Carter and bring peace to the people there.

We’d finished shopping for supplies and were now riding in the carriage that they had chartered.

We were on our way to the destination.

“You won’t regret choosing us,” said Ena, the leader of the party, as she gave me a firm handshake.

I shook her hand back, but her grip was so strong it felt like my hand was screaming in pain.

I somehow endured the pain and squeezed out the words, “It’s an honor.”

Rather than me, it was Ivy who had enthusiastically pushed for this fourth-rank party, “Lapis Lazuli.”

Ivy’s reason for choosing them was incredibly simple.

—Of all the people who tried to recruit us, they smelled the nicest and were the cleanest.

You might think, "That's all?" but Ivy is much more of a neat freak than I am, to the point where it surprises me.

There was even a time when, after I tried to sleep without washing up, Ivy grew larger, forcibly undressed me, and made me take a bath.

From Ivy's perspective, it seems she wasn't too fond of the male adventurers who smelled like animals, having gone days without washing up.

While I preferred the stronger third-rank party “Est Est Est,” Ivy turned away in disdain, so I had to give up on that idea.

Well, to be fair, the leader Maxim did have a big bushy beard and smelled pretty bad…

"Alright, let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m Ena, the leader. I handle the front lines and my weapon is this Niku Zetsu Kotsu To (Flesh Cutting Bone Sword)."

Ena had short brown hair that was cut evenly across, almost like a bob.

Her bangs were quite short, probably so they wouldn’t get in the way during battle.

She was wearing armor made from blue scales. I didn’t know enough about monsters to tell which one they were from.

Next to the carriage, within reach, was a pure white sword as tall as Ena herself.

Judging from the name, it was likely crafted from a monster’s bone.

"I’m Sara, the rear guard. I specialize in ice magic. My attacks are usually a bit on the weak side since I try to conserve energy, so please bear with me. Nice to meet you!"

"I’m Aisha. I’m a mid-guard, but I can also handle the front lines. While I buy us some time, the two of them land the big finishing blows—that’s our basic strategy. I’ve heard rumors about you. Looking forward to working with you!"

Sara was a quiet-looking woman with blue hair and a witch-like pointed hat.

Aisha, with her energetic demeanor, had long flowing blonde hair that contrasted with her casual, boyish way of speaking.

These three made up the full party of "Lapis Lazuli."

According to Moose, they were a pretty reliable party for fourth-rank adventurers, so there was little chance they would trick or mistreat me.

They also had several successful ogre subjugations under their belt, so it didn’t feel like they only took this request because Ivy was with us.

"I'm Bruno, the rookie adventurer who somehow got promoted to fourth rank."

"It took us two years! Give us back our two years!"

"Don’t tease him, Aisha. You’re making Bruno uncomfortable."

"Haha… Please take care of me," I said, laughing awkwardly.

How should I describe it? I guess this is what people mean when they say "rowdy."

Surrounded by women, with a pleasant scent in the air, I couldn’t quite relax.

Since Ivy is also female, it’s essentially one guy versus four girls here.

"Mii."

“And this is Ivy. Despite how she looks, she’s actually very particular about cleanliness.”

Right now, Ivy was palm-sized.

Perched on my shoulder, she sat up straight.

Then, she started tapping my shoulder bone with her paw.

Understanding her intention, I chuckled and held out my hand.

She smoothly climbed onto my palm, and I presented her to the three women.

“Mii.”

Ivy looked around at the three with her big, round eyes, then bowed her head slightly.

I hoped her gesture of "Nice to meet you" came across clearly to the senior members of "Lapis Lazuli."